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   aristocracy

   /ˌarɪˈstɒkrəsi/

   noun

   • 1. the highest class in certain societies, typically comprising people of noble birth holding hereditary titles and offices: "members of the aristocracy"
   • ▪ a form of government in which power is held by the nobility.
   • ▪ a state in which governing power is held by the nobility.
   • ▪ a group regarded as privileged or superior in a particular sphere: "Britain's pop aristocracy"

   Word Origin late 15th century: from Old French aristocratie, from Greek aristokratia, from aristos ‘best’ + -kratia ‘power’. The term originally denoted the government of a state by its best citizens, later by the rich and well born, hence the sense ‘nobility’, regardless of the form of government (mid 17th century).

   Scrabble Points: 18

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